PDF Table of contents

A society in transition, an industry ready to bloom

2018 cannabis report

Table of contents

The cannabis era dawns

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Canada's new growth industry

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Canadian consumers: demographics and behaviours

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Channel and purchase preferences

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Implications and considerations

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A society in transition, an industry poised for growth

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A society in transition | The cannabis era dawns

The cannabis era dawns

T he world is watching as Canada steps into the spotlight as the first G7 country1 to legalize recreational cannabis nationwide. This year, cannabis will become legal at the federal, provincial/territorial, and local levels. Public officials are balancing health, safety, and revenue as they strive to undermine the illegal market, ensure a safe and controlled supply, and keep cannabis out of children's hands. If successful, Canada will win global acclaim and set an example for other nations. The federal government's push for legalization has already had a powerful effect, sparking a wave of innovation and entrepreneurship that shares the fast-growing, can-do spirit of our technology sector. What will the legal market look like? How will public officials balance health, safety, and revenue priorities? And who's going to be buying? To shed some light on the subject, Deloitte surveyed current and likely recreational cannabis consumers across the country in early 2018 to gain insights into how consumption levels may change, what kinds of products consumers would be interested in, and how and where they'd like to purchase--in short, what consumer demand means for the cannabis market.

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A society in transition | The cannabis era dawns

High product quality and integrity as well as a range of competitive price points will be needed to persuade current consumers to move their purchases over to legal sources.

The market is significant The total cannabis market in Canada, including medical and illegal as well as legal recreational products, is expected to generate up to $7.17 billion in total sales in 2019. Legal sales are expected to contribute more than half of this total--up to $4.34 billion--in the first year. Current and likely consumers expect to pay slightly more for legal products, with the former saying they're willing to pay 10 percent more.

Majority of recreational cannabis sold will be legal Canadians who are already consuming cannabis expect to buy nearly two-thirds of their products from legal retailers once they can. High product quality and integrity (as affirmed by quality testing) as well as a range of competitive price points will be needed to persuade current consumers to move their purchases over to legal sources. Delivering a superior customer experience will be of vital importance.

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A society in transition | The cannabis era dawns

Tomorrow's consumers Today's typical cannabis consumer is what we might describe as a risk taker. Perhaps not surprisingly, they're more likely to be young (aged 18-34), and in their quest to live life to the fullest, they're more likely to put their health or safety at risk. They often consume cannabis several times a week. Legalization is expected to attract more of a conservative experimenter-- typically one who is aged 35-54, has a university or graduate school education, and has family or other responsibilities. They're expected to consume less than once a month. That said, likely consumers are far from neophytes: 74 percent of them have had prior experience with recreational cannabis, and 41 percent have used it in the past five years.

Customers demand privacy, security when purchasing Approximately one-third of recreational cannabis consumers indicate an interest in buying products online through approved retailers' websites, and they worry about the privacy and security of their personal information. Even in-store consumers will be sharing personal information with retailers, such as allowing their ID to be scanned at point-of-sale terminals and their image captured on security cameras. The fact that governments are involved in cannabis retail means that consumers expect their information to be protected, especially online. Online retailers will need to ensure they embed privacy-by-design principles2 and invest in robust e-commerce cybersecurity measures.

Consumers will buy more frequently--and spend more After legalization, current frequent cannabis consumers expect to buy more often than they do today. Current but less frequent consumers also expect to purchase products more often, and spend significantly more when they do--up to 68 percent more.

Bricks-and-mortar matters Current and likely cannabis consumers expect to purchase the majority of their products at physical retail locations. Knowledgeable staff and clearly displayed prices will play a critical role in the success of cannabis retailers' bricks-and-mortar stores, further driving home the point that retailing fundamentals such as convenience, customer experience, product choice, and product and location safety matter as much to these retailers as those in more traditional segments.

Will cannabis be a complement for liquor--or a substitute? Many liquor boards across Canada will be playing a prominent role as distributors and retailers. They may soon discover such sales are affecting their traditional lines of business, because our survey suggests that cannabis may serve a larger role as a substitute for beer, spirits, and wine. All alcohol categories are expected to be affected, which could have a negative impact on the revenues for government, liquor companies, and retailers.

The legalization of recreational cannabis marks a significant transition for Canadian society but while the industry is controversial, we also need to remember that this category has spurred innovation, entrepreneurship, and jobs. What is certain is that legalization will open the doors to a dynamic, sophisticated industry that will create new jobs, new opportunities for businesses, and new revenues for government. And executed well, legalization will also help shift a considerable proportion of cannabis consumption to legal channels in the years to come.

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